如月 来夏
People are creatures who always want what they can't have, selfish and capricious. The store that used to be underground in Keyaki Plaza in Saitama Shintoshin is now gone. I took it for granted since it's in my neighborhood and I can go there anytime, but now that it's gone, I suddenly crave it. So, after a long time, I head to the main store of Mugi Ori to pour omelet rice at "YOU." I arrived at the store around 11:30, and there were about 5 people waiting outside. Having seen the huge lines before, I underestimated the situation and thought it would be easy to get in after waiting for about 30 minutes. Surprisingly, I was seated in about 20 minutes, without much waiting. The diligent staff came out to take orders and guide customers, a true professional in Ginza, a true flagship store. The interior of the store, with only counter seats, felt cramped like an eel bed, and I realized the New Shintoshin store I never lined up at was truly a spacious place. I ordered the clam soba from the touch panel ticket machine. Note that the ticket machine only accepts cashless payments, not cash. It was a drawback that the staff did not provide any assistance regarding this. It's not enough to just wait in line and then not be able to buy a ticket. As an analog person, I froze for a while in front of the ticket machine holding a thousand yen bill. However, the hospitality was excellent, with the service of paper aprons, and modestly displaying the Michelin guide next to the ticket machine. Surprisingly, I didn't see any inbound customers though. After the dish arrived, I fell in love with the neatly arranged bowl as always. The trademark red and white fish cakes and trefoil, and the aroma of the clam broth drawn from the quietly standing clams. It had a depth and richness in flavor that I seldom experience, reminding me of New Year's osechi cuisine. While Saitama's "Shidaiame Hinodeya" takes a strictly Japanese approach to clams, "Mugi Ori" offers a clam preparation by an Italian-trained chef. As I slurped the noodles, I pondered whether the term "Wafu-Western fusion" applies here. When I had eaten enough, I noticed the shallot oil on the table and poured some in. It didn't make the dish oily as expected, but instead enhanced the experience just as I hoped. I thought to myself, "Wow, the Italian influence is strong here." I wanted to show an Italian that noodles are not just pasta. The pork rare chashu that resembled prosciutto, and the chicken ham reminiscent of the once-popular salad chicken, with ramen soup poured over and eaten with rice, would taste delicious. I refrained from ordering it since I had just eaten omelet rice, but this amount was just right. The fine, wheat-flavored noodles had a sharp, well-structured edge, and were extremely thin, possibly made by Kyoto's Tokiokaseimen. I still don't know how to pronounce it. "Ginza Kagari" in Urawa Atre has also closed down, I hope they expand back to Saitama. Chef Iwata is from Saitama, and they will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next year.